Improvement in water-wh eels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.IOSIAI-I P. FITCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WH EELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,459, dated April 5, 1859.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J osIAH P. FITCH, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in \Vater\Vheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichM Figures l and 2 are vertical central sections of my invention, the planes of section crossing each other at right angles.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention consistsin placing the gate of the penstock or flume in a certain relative position with the wheel, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the wheel is rendered more efficient than usual, inasmuch as the water is permitted to pass in a direct line or entirely unobstructed on the wheel and in a column the diameter of which will be at all times equal to that of the wheel, irrespective of the distance the gate maybe open and of the rapidity or velocity of the discharge of the water.

In carrying out this invention one or two wheels may be employed on the same shaft, and a single or double gate may be used.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a penstock or fiume of suitable dimensions, and B is a case which is placed at the bottom thereof.

C is a horizontal shaft which passes longitudinally through the case B and through one or both sides of the penstock or flume A. On the shaft C two wheels D D are placed, said wheels being both within the case B, one at each end and within tubes or cylinders E, said cylinders snugly encompassing the wheels, but the latter allowed to rotate freely within them. The cylinders E E are open at each end, as shown clearly in Fig. l, and the only communication between the interior of the case B and the penstock or fiume A is through the wheels D D.

At the bottom of the case B and between the two wheels D D a gate F is placed, said gate being directly over a discharge-spout G, which communicates only with the case B and when the gate F is open. In the drawings, Fig. l, a double gate is shownthat is to say, the gate is formed of two parts a a, placed or fitted horizontally between guides, and represented as being operated by racks h, attached to the sides and toothed sectors c, which gear into racks h and are placed on shafts d, having levers c attached, which may be connected by any proper means, so as to operate simultaneously and produce a corresponding movement of the slides toward and from each other.

From the above description it will be seen that the water in the penst-ock or fiume A will act upon the wheels D D with a force or pressure due to the head or height of water in the penstock or flu me A, and each wheel will be subjected to the pressure of a column of water equal in diameter to the wheels. The water passes through the wheels D D into the case B and is discharged through the gate E, which is opened more or less, according to the power required. The advantage attending this arrangement-that is to say, the placing of the gate relatively with the wheels, as shown-is that the water is allowed to act in a direct manner on the wheels, not being obstructed, as usual, by gates, and that the pressure of a column of water equal in diameter to the wheels will act upon each wheel, and the benefit of said pressure obtained at all times when the wheels are in operation irrespective of the volume of discharge through the gate E.

It is perfectly immaterial as regards the form of wheel used and also as regards the form of gate. Either one or two wheels may be used and either in a vertical or horizontal position. TheA condition required for the successful carrying out'of the invention being the placing of the gate below or after the wheel or wheels dispensing altogether with the usual gate before the wheel, so that the water will pass through and act upon the wheel before reaching the gate, whereby in addition to the advantage hereinbefore named, the gate maybe constructed in a much cheaper and more simple manner than usual, and rendered capable of being open and closed with less force or expenditure of power than is required when it is placed before the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, Whaj claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent, is-

The combination of the Wheels D, one or more, and gate F, arranged relatively With each other and placed Within a proper ease which is tted within a penstoek or Hume-A,

substantially as and for the purpose seb forth.

JOSIAH P. FITCH.

Witnesses:

WM. TUsoH, W. HAUFF. 

